Jonathan Smith provides injury updates on Michigan State football pre-week 8

On Monday, Jonathan Smith spoke to the Michigan State football media to preview his upcoming matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers. Following an embarrassing Homecoming loss to the underdog UCLA Bruins, the coach addressed one of the factors in the loss, the injuries.

Who all is out for Michigan State football, and what is their prognosis?

Smith had quite a few injuries to rattle through, as the injury report was quite extensive on Saturday. The already long list was added to by multiple other Spartans going down both pre-game and during the game, none bigger than Aidan Chiles’s injury in the second half.

The coach did not rule anyone out for this week, but did not confirm anyone back for Saturday’s contest, either.

“Injury front, we had (lost) a few guys throughout the game. We don’t have a huge amount of updates here, but Aidan (Chiles), Mike Masunas, and Dooley (junior guard Kristian Phillips), all of them, we will see by the end of the week with those guys kind of look like. Optimistic, but we’ll find out by the end of the week.

“Nikai Martinez, Ben Roberts, Jalen Thompson, obviously all three of those guys did not go on Saturday. I’ll always tell you if it’s a longer, longer term injury. All three of those guys have a potential for this weekend, but we’ll see at the end of the week.”

Now, this provides updates on six of the Spartans that all went down throughout the season. All six are starters for Michigan State football, and it is not a great sign when over one-quarter of your starting 22 players between offense and defense are game time decisions.

Who are the next men up?

If the players cannot travel and participate on Saturday, there are a few options to discuss for the Spartans.

If Chiles cannot go, the heir to the quarterback position is redshirt freshman Alessio Milivojevic. The Illinois native has shown promise in his first two extended looks of the season, tossing a touchdown pass in each of his relief appearances. However, there is a clear gap between him and Chiles still. Milivojevic’s backup would be true freshman Leo Hannan, based on how the quarterback depth chart was, based on the last update.

Thompson’s replacements have been seventh-year senior Quindarius Dunnigan and redshirt freshman Kekai Burnett. Each of Dunnigan and Burnett have made a start this season, with Burnett starting in place of Thompson against UCLA.

If Kristian Phillips is out, his spot is filled by Gavin Broscious at right guard. Phillips was part of a four man rotation, alongside Broscious, Carter, and Luka Vincic, but the rotation will likely be stopped completely if Phillips is out. The two key reserves behind Carter and Broscious would likely be redshirt freshmen Rakeem Johnson (one game, four snaps this season, alongside four games with one start last season) and AJ Dennis (two games played in 2024).

Masunas being limited or out provides a major issue at the tight end room. The Spartans also were missing Brennan Parachek and Jayden Savoury on Saturday, and Smith had no updates regarding those two. If all three are out, Indiana State transfer Kai Rios would be the next man up. Rios has played in two games this year, including eight snaps last week. He dropped his only target, however. Wyatt Hook, a 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman, is the only other scholarship tight end on the roster. Jaxson Wilson also appeared for special teams action this year and one snap of offense at tight end in 2024.

Ben Roberts has been replaced by seniors Grady Kelly and Ru’Quan Buckley, and those two will continue to fill his role. Mikeshun Beeler is another name to watch, but it did not appear as if he dressed last week. Derrick Simmons does have one more game he can play before the staff has to make a redshirt decision, too. Ben Nelson is the final name to mention in the rotation, as he appeared in a handful of games in 2024.

Nikai Martinez has been replaced by Armorion Smith, Dontavius Nash, and Devynn Cromwell for the last two games. Earlier in the season, Justin Denson Jr. was another option in the room, but he has not seen the field since week three for reasons undisclosed. Aveon Grose appeared in one snap on defense last weekend, as well.

No injury updates were provided for the following players that were listed as out last weekend:

• DB NiJhay Burt
• WR Alante Brown
• LB Marcellius Pulliam
• DB Ade Willie
• TE Jayden Savoury
• K Tarik Ahmetbasic
• LS Kaden Schickel
• LT Stanton Ramil
• TE Brennan Parachek

Overall, there are a lot of names to watch for the injury report before Saturday’s game against the Hoosiers.